The present invention relates to a method of making an inflatable toy ball by molding a butyl rubber inner tube and foamed cover panels then covering the cover panels on the inner tube and then embossing the ball.
FIG. 6 illustrates a production flow chart for making inflatable balls according to the prior art, which comprises the steps of: i) molding an inner tube from rubber, ii) processing the outer wall of the inner tube into a coarse surface; iii) preparing a rubber cover leather by a press and then cutting it into cover panels according to a predetermined size; iv) winding the inner tube with threads; v) covering the thread-wounded inner tube with a layer of rubber through a molding process to form a semi-finished ball; vi) covering the cover panels over the semi-finished ball thus obtained to form a blank ball; vii) covering a transfer paper over the blank ball for transfer printing; viii) putting the blank ball with the transfer paper in the mold of a transfer press and the heating the mold to about 150.degree. C. for about 6 minutes; ix) removing the transfer paper and mounting an air valve to the ball. This production procedure is complicated. The embossment on the outer wall of the ball is formed through a rubber heating process. The ball becomes defective and cannot be reproduced if there is any errors during the embossing process. Because of the complicated manufacturing process, the ball is expensive. Furthermore, an inflatable ball made according to this method is heavy and and rigid, and therefore it is commonly used for official games and not suitable for young children to play with. Regular inflatable toy balls for children are commonly made of single layer with the outer surface embossed or printed. However, a single layer inflatable toy ball gives a sense of being cheap and not substantial.